White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended President Trump and demonized the Florida congresswoman who had criticized the president's phone call on Tuesday
Evan Vucci/AP

Sarah Huckabee Sander lashed out at Rep. Frederica Wilson, saying, "It is appalling what the congresswoman has done."

Wilson called Trump "cold-hearted" after he made a phone call to a pregnant army widow in which he reportedly forgot her husband's name and said, "He knew what he signed up for."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday that Rep. Frederica Wilson's comments on President Donald Trump's phone call to a soldier's widow were "appalling and disgusting."

She was referring to the Floriday Democrat's statements saying that Trump was "cold-hearted" and "sick" for making what she claimed was an insensitive phone call to the widow of a US soldier killed in Niger.

"It is appalling what the congresswoman has done and the way that she has politicized this issue," Sanders said at Wednesday's press briefing.

Sanders' statement comes after both Trump and Wilson said they had proof that their respective accounts of the phone call were accurate.

Wilson told the Miami affiliate WPLG on Tuesday that while speaking with Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, one of the four US Army Special Forces troops killed in action during a mission in the African country of Niger earlier this month, Trump said, "He knew what he signed up for, but when it happens, it hurts anyway."

"Yeah, he said that," Wilson told the news station. "So insensitive. He should not have said that — he shouldn't have said it."

Trump shot back on Twitter, writing, "Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!"

But the mother of the late soldier said Wilson's description of the call was accurate.